The present invention is directed to a zero mounting force connector. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a zero mounting force solder-free connector/component and method.
Printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies are commonly comprised of a PCB, which typically has conductive traces forming circuit patterns on at least one of an upper and lower surface of a substrate, which may be resin, ceramic, plastic, glass or other suitable material. Integrated circuit (IC) chips and connectors for a variety of electronic components may be secured to the substrate and the conductive traces. The electrically conductive traces provide electrical pathways between components, which are electrically coupled to the pathways and physically secured to the resin substrate of the PCB. The connectors may include pins that pass through openings in the PCB. The pins of the connector may be electrically connected to the electrically conductive pathways by means of wave soldering, which entails moving the PCB over a flowing wave of molten solder in a solder bath to effect an electrical connection between the pins of the connector and the electrically conductive pathways. Some connectors are press-fit connectors. These press-fit connectors are often used on double-sided reflow circuit boards, which are not processed through a wave solder machine. Presently, if a large connector must be placed on a circuit board that is not undergoing wave soldering, a press-fit connector is used. The press-fit connector pins have an interference fit with plated through-holes in the PCB into which they are being pressed.
Reflow circuit boards employ small balls of solder that are located at points on the PCB where an electrical connection is desired between electrically conductive pathways and components connected thereto. When heated, the solder balls melt and re-solidify, thereby integrally electrically connecting the components to the pathways.
Servers and back plane boards frequently employ press-fit through-hole connectors to achieve a solder-free electrical connection. The through-holes are plated to provide an electrical connection from a connector or component to an electrical pathway on the same or the other side of the board. These press-fit connectors often require a special press tool configured to accommodate a specific press-fit connector""s external shape. Historically, in an attempt to ensure that computers shipped to customer distribution sites may be easily configured at the site, manufacturers of computers provide PCB""s that are custom designed to accommodate a host of varying consumer needs. Those needs include connector options that allow such components as memory modules and peripheral interconnect (PCI) connectors. Currently the mother boards, that is the main circuit board of the computer that contains the primary components of the computer system, such as the processor, main memory, support circuitry and a bus controller, are also xe2x80x9cstuffedxe2x80x9d with extra connectors to accommodate dual inline memory modules (DIMM""s) and PCI connectors that are not needed on every original equipment manufacturer (OEM) product line or at every OEM. These added components that have been stuffed onto the PCB add cost to the product without attendant value when the end user of the products do not require extra PCI or DIMM connectors. This current practice is expensive and results in system boards that are more expensive than they need to be for the products in which they are used.
From the foregoing it is apparent that significant cost savings would be available if the reseller at the point of sale could add PCI connectors or memory modules rather than increasing the computer""s basic cost when the PCIs or memory modules are included on the PCB when they are not needed.